Israeli occupation forces on Saturday shot and killed a Palestinian man in the northwestern area of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, as medical authorities and international agencies reported a continued rise in casualties amid severe restrictions on rescue operations and a deepening humanitarian collapse across the besieged enclave.
Medical sources said the victim, identified as Yousef Hassan, was killed after Israeli armored vehicles stationed northwest of Rafah, in Gaza’s southmost part, opened fire toward the area. His body was transferred to Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis.
Earlier, a child was injured by Israeli gunfire in the al‑Mawasi area west of Rafah, while medical teams also confirmed the death of Ahmad Hani Obeid, 25, who succumbed to wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike on northern Gaza nearly a year ago.
Al‑Jazeera’s correspondents in Gaza reported intensified shelling and live‑fire incidents around western Rafah and the coastal displacement zones, where thousands of families are living in makeshift tents.
Health authorities in Gaza reported that the overall death toll from the genocide in Gaza has risen to 72,549 Palestinians, with 172,274 injured since October 7, 2023.
The Ministry of Health said that since the declared “ceasefire” on October 11 of last year, 773 Palestinians have been killed and 2,171 injured, while 761 bodies have been recovered from beneath destroyed buildings.
🚨Israel’s War on Gaza’s Women and Girls
More than 38,000 women and girls have been killed by Israel in Gaza.
A UN Women report warns that violations continue, and the ceasefire has failed to stop the ongoing toll on civilians. pic.twitter.com/J3Pb04zImN
— Gaza Notifications (@gazanotice) April 18, 2026
Officials stressed that many victims remain trapped under rubble and in streets that ambulances and civil defense crews cannot reach due to ongoing military operations and the destruction of access roads.
Medical teams in Gaza emphasized that the true casualty figures are likely higher than reported due to the inability to reach many affected areas. Civil defense crews say entire neighborhoods remain inaccessible, with bodies trapped under collapsed buildings for weeks.
The Ministry’s latest 48‑hour update documented eight new fatalities, including one recovered body, and 24 additional injuries, underscoring what medical teams describe as a continuous flow of casualties despite the collapse of most hospital services.
UNRWA stated this week that Gaza’s health system “no longer functions in any recognizable form,” with only a handful of partially operating facilities struggling without fuel, medical supplies, or safe access for staff.
A mother in #Gaza pleads for her daughter to be allowed to travel abroad for treatment after being shot by Israeli forces, leaving her paralyzed in the lower body.
Israel continues to impose a tight blockade on Gaza. pic.twitter.com/HrjcnoQ1JH
— Ramy Abdu| رامي عبده (@RamAbdu) April 18, 2026
The United Nations has warned that conditions in Rafah, where more than a million displaced Palestinians have been sheltering, remain “catastrophic.”
According to UN humanitarian officials, Israeli military operations and repeated displacement orders have forced families to move multiple times, often into areas lacking water, sanitation, or shelter.
Humanitarian agencies continue to report severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine. The World Food Programme reiterated that northern Gaza remains at risk of famine, while UNRWA said that aid convoys face “systematic obstruction,” leaving large parts of the population without consistent access to relief.
